Matthew 14:22-33, 16:13-28

Peter is on a high. So many times, when he has spoken up, he has said the wrong thing. His life with Jesus has been full of ups and downs. His mouth just keeps getting him in trouble. Every time he says something right, he follows it with something wrong.

Like last week. Jesus had sent them out in the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. And as often happened, a storm came up. A really bad storm! The waves tore the sails, knocked the boat around, and soaked them until they shivered with both cold and fear.

Then someone came walking to them on the water! And they were terrified!

“It’s a ghost!” they cried out in fear.

The voice that responded was familiar, but not one of those that other storms had taken, friends whose bodies had never been recovered.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Is it Jesus?” asked one of them.

Now Peter knew that Jesus could do things nobody else could. Certainly he, a lowly fisherman, couldn’t heal people or make enough food from five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of five thousand. But he always felt safe in the presence of Jesus. He certainly didn’t feel safe in this boat in this wind and rain!

“Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

Peter didn’t even think about the “if it’s you.” That just came out. But who else could it be?

So when Jesus said, “Come,” Peter stepped out of the boat in the way that Peter always did something: he just stepped out, not even thinking about the consequences. Jesus said, “Come,” so he did.

What he did think about was when his foot touched the water and didn’t go through into it. Then his other foot followed. And it was like he was walking on dry land!

One step, two steps, three … He quit counting. He wasn’t sinking. Excitement covered his face. I’m doing it! I’m walking on the water! I’m not sinking!

As if reading his thoughts, Jesus nodded.

Peter measured the distance to his teacher. Only ten steps more and I‘ll be standing by Jesus.

But then a cold, hurricane-force wind wrapped his cloak around him like a cocoon. He couldn’t even move his arms, let alone his feet, and he began to sink.

Struggling desperately to raise an arm to Jesus, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

And Jesus was beside him, holding his hand, lifting him out of the water. And scolding him. “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Peter had been right that time. He would be safe with Jesus, but fear had stolen his faith.

But surely this time …

This time there is no storm. True, they’re in Roman territory, in the district of Caesarea Philippi, a city the Romans built for themselves, the Roman capital of Judea. But Jesus and his followers are not attracting any negative attention.

The small group of teacher and twelve followers is sitting in the shade of a big tree, Jesus leaning against its trunk. As he often does, he starts with a question. “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

His followers have several suggestions.

“John the Baptist.”

“Elijah.”

“Jeremiah.”

“Maybe one of the other prophets.”

Jesus nods and then asks a more personal question. “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

Without hesitating, Peter blurts out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus offers him an affirming smile.  “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

For at least ten seconds, Peter basks in the glory of having the right answer and being blessed by Jesus. But Jesus speaks again.

“I must go to Jerusalem.”

Fine, thinks Peter. We’ve been out in the countryside long enough. It’s time for the city people to learn who Jesus is.

Peter thinks ahead. Jesus will go to Jerusalem, and the crowds there will acclaim him as do the crowds in the countryside. And there the Messiah will fulfill his role, the role foretold by the prophets. He will establish his kingdom that will have no end, the kingdom of God, where there will be no tears, no sorrow, and God will be worshiped forever.

But then Jesus continues, explaining that he will undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes.

Peter sits up straight. His eyes are not the only ones to spring wide open. This is not what they want to hear.

But it doesn’t get better. Jesus adds that he will be killed, and on the third day he will be raised.

None of the disciples hear anything after “They will kill me.” Later, someone will remember, but now? That’s not in their minds.

Peter pulls Jesus away from the tree. With the authority of his newly appointed office as the rock foundation of the church that does not exist yet, he shakes his head. “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”

Because what if Jesus is killed? What happens to the kingdom of heaven? Why have they been following him for these last many months? What will they do next? No, Jesus cannot die! He must not be killed!

Jesus, on the other hand, has other thoughts. Three times in the wilderness, the devil tempted him. Once to make bread from the very rocks around them. Jesus did that recently, but not from rocks, and not under the authority of the devil. He fed five thousand people on five loaves and two fish, but with God’s blessing, just as he healed the sick and disabled.

The second temptation was to jump off the top of the Temple so that angels would rescue him. That would certainly be easier than dying on the cross, but again, the wrong authority.

And worshiping the devil would be much faster than the way the gospel would spread to all the world, but the kingdom of the devil was not the kingdom of heaven.

Now, here in Caesarea Philippi, one more temptation. If he agrees with Peter, he will be bowing to the devil. He didn’t do it then, and he won’t do it now.

Perhaps his tone of voice is harsher than Peter will understand, but the devil must understand. “Get behind me, Satan!”

Jesus looks at Peter. “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Peter’s head drops. Jesus knows the disciple does not understand, but the devil does. And Peter will eventually. People must have a choice between the easy way, the way of the devil, which could be called the way of the world, or the way of love, peace, and compassion demonstrated by Jesus as the will of God. We must want to love God and our neighbor.

Jesus turns back to his followers. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

For consideration:

General questions

1) How does this story follow its Scripture?

2) How does this story expand its Scripture for you?

3) What is the message of this story?

4) How does the message apply to us today?

Specific questions

5) The Gospel of Matthew sometimes compares Jesus to Moses: the slaughter of the Innocents to Pharaoh killing all the boy babies and the Transfiguration to Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. What is the comparison here?

6) Peter knew he would be safe standing with Jesus. When have you felt safe standing in your faith in Jesus?

7) Who do you say Jesus is? What does that mean to you?

8) It’s that last sentences (Matthew 16:28) that causes us trouble, specifically the last one. How do we explain that all those standing there have died, and nearly two thousand years have passed?